İlker Çatak’s “Yellow Letters” Wins Golden Bear at 76th Berlinale

The 76th Berlin International Film Festival concluded on Saturday with İlker Çatak’s “Yellow Letters” taking home the prestigious Golden Bear, according to an indiewire.com report. The ceremony, presided over by jury president Wim Wenders, brought a close to a festival defined as much by its cinematic discoveries as by the political controversies that shadowed the red carpet.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tricia Tuttle, now in her second year, the festival attempted to balance its reputation for arthouse excellence with a volatile global climate. While heavyweights like Sandra Hüller secured the Silver Bear for Best Lead Performance in Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose,” the festival faced significant pressure from the industry. An open letter signed by stars including Tilda Swinton and Mark Ruffalo criticised the festival’s stance on Gaza, while filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania withdrew from an adjacent gala in solidarity.

On the screen, however, the quality remained high. Highlights included Emin Alper’s “Salvation,” which took the Grand Jury Prize, and Lance Hammer’s “Queen at Sea,” which earned both the Jury Prize and a supporting acting award for veteran stars Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay. Despite the absence of major Hollywood studio launches, the 2026 lineup was widely regarded as a return to form for the Berlinale.

 

 

All winners of the 76th Berlinale are listed below.

Main Competition

Golden Bear: “Yellow Letters,” İlker Çatak

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: “Salvation,” Emin Alper

Silver Bear Jury Prize: “Queen at Sea,” Lance Hammer

Silver Bear for Best Director: “Everybody Digs Bill Evans,” Grant Gee

Silver Bear for Best Lead Performance: “Rose,” Sandra Huller

Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance: Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay for “Queen at Sea,” Lance Hammer

Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: “Nina Roza,” Geneviève Dulude-De Celles

Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: “Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird),” Anna Fitch and Banker White

Perspectives

Best First Feature (with a prize of 50,000 euros): “Chronicles of the Siege,” Abdallah Alkhatib

Documentary Prizes

Documentary Award (with a prize of 40,000 euros): “If Pigeons Turn to Gold,” Pepa Lubojacki

Documentary Award (Special Mention): “Tutu,” Sam Pollard

Documentary Award (Special Mention): “Sometimes I Imagine Them All at a Party,” Daniela Magnani Hüller

Short Film Prizes

Golden Bear for Short Film: “Someday, a Child,” Marie-Rose Osta

Silver Bear Jury Prize: “A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere,” Fanny Texier

CUPRA Filmmaker Award: “Kleptomania,” Jingkai Qu

PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARDS

Audience Award (Fiction): “Prosecution,” Faraz Sharia

First Runner-up: “Four Minus Three,” Adrian Goiginger

Second Runner-up: “Mouse,” Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson

Audience Award (Documentary): “Traces,” Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk

First Runner-up: “The Other Side of the Sun,” Tawfik Sabouni

Second Runner-up: “Bucks Harbor,” Pete Muller

GENERATION COMPETITION

International Jury

Grand Prix for the Best Film in Generation Kplus: “Gugu’s World,” Allan Deberton

Special Mention: “Atlas of the Universe,” Paul Negoescu

Special Prize for the Best Short Film in Generation Kplus: “Spi,” Navroz Shaban

Special Mention: “Under the Wave off Little Dragon,” Luo Jian

Grand Prix for the Best Film in Generation 14plus: “Sad Girlz,” Fernanda Tovar

Special Mention: “Matapanki,” Diego Mapache Fuentes

Special Prize for the Best Short Film in Generation 14plus: “The Thread,” Fenn O’Meally

Special Mention: “Memories of a Window,” Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar

Youth Jury

Crystal Bear for the Best Film in Generation Kplus: “Gugu’s World,” Allan Deberton

Special Mention: “Not a Hero,” Rima Das

Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film in Generation Kplus: “Whale 52 – Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale,” Daniel Neiden

Special Mention: “Under the Wave off Little Dragon,” Luo Jian

Crystal Bear for the Best Film in Generation 14plus: “Sad Girlz,” Fernanda Tovar

Special Mention: “A Family,” Mees Peijnenburg

Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film in Generation 14plus: ”Memories of a Window,” Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar

Special Mention: ”Nobody Knows the World,” Roddy Dextre

TEDDY AWARDS

Best Feature Film: “Ivan & Hadoum,” Ian de la Rosa

Best Documentary: “Barbara Forever,” Brydie O’Connor

Best Short Film: “Taxi Moto,” Gaël Kamilindi

Jury Award: “Trial of Hein,” Kai Stänicke

Special Award: Céline Sciamma

FIPRESCI AWARDS

Competition: “Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Perspectives: “Animol,” Ashley Walters

Panorama: “Narciso,” Marcelo Martinessi

Forum: “AnyMart,” Yusuke Iwasaki

ECUMENICAL JURY AWARDS

Competition: “Flies,” Fernando Eimbcke

Panorama: “Bucks Harbor,” Pete Muller

Forum: “River Dreams,“ Kristina Mikhailova

LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS AWARD

“Four Minus Three,” Adrian Goiginger

PRIZE OF THE GUILD OF GERMAN ARTHOUSE CINEMAS

“Yellow Letters,” İlker Çatak

Special Mention: “The Loneliest Man in Town,” Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel

READERS’ JURIES

Berliner Morgenpost Readers’ Award: “Flies,” Fernando Eimbcke

Tagesspiegel Readers’ Award: “I Built a Rocket Imagining Your Arrival,” Janaína Marques

CALIGARI FILM PRIZE

“If Pigeons Turned to Gold,” Pepa Lubojacki

PEACE FILM PRIZE

“Tutu,” Sam Pollard

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARD

“What Will I Become?,” Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos

HEINER CAROW PRIZE

“Prosecution,” Faraz Shariat

PRIZE AG KINO – GILDE – CINEMA VISION 14PLUS

“What Will I Become?,” Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos

Special Mention: ”Sunny Dancer,” George Jaques

C.I.C.A.E. Art Cinema Award

“Prosecution,” Faraz Shariat

“On Our Own,” Tudor Cristian Jurgiu